Lord Sree Padmanabha – The reclining Diety of Thiruvananthapuram

Lord Sree Padmanabha – The reclining Deity of Thiruvananthapuram

Lord Sree Padmanabha, the presiding Deity of the erstwhile Kingdom of Travancore (Thiruvithamcore) located at the southern tip of India struck the headlines recently for the treasures housed in the cellars of the temple. The Deity is now the riches in the world. Though the temple is in the heart of the city, a serene and calm atmosphere makes the place marked with its extreme divinity. Lord Vishnu is in an eternal ‘yoga nidra’ or cosmic sleep as the deity is in a reclining position as ‘anantha syanam’.  The Deity is reclining on Lord Anantha in the sanctum sanctorum. The deity is made using 12,000 Shalagrama silas brought from Nepal. The Silas are then covered with ‘kadusharkarayogam’ an ayurvedic mix.

Sree Padmanabhaswami is still the hope and sole protector of his devotees. The temple is a heaven for Vaishnavas all over India. There is also an Ugra narasimha Moorthy who protects the ‘Sri Mahabharatakonathu Kallara’ or the B Vault that houses a huge treasure. The ‘Sri Mahabharatakonathu Kallara’ of B- Vault houses a powerful Srichakram, a golden idol of Sree Padmanabha Swamy and many other valuables kept to increase the power of the main Deity. Thekkedom and Thiruvampaadi are two other small temples within the main temple complex. Thekkedom Houses the Ugra Narasimha Moorthy and Thiruvampadi is dedicated to Lord Krishna. Lord Parthasaradhi or the form of Krishna riding the Chariot of Arjuna is the presiding Deity of Thiruvambadi.

The main gopuram of the temple dates back to 1566. The gopuram is 100 foot tall and has 7 tiers. To the one side of the gopuram is the famous ‘padma theertham’, the sacred pond.